Marriages & Burials

Marking Passages

Marriages

A Lifelong Commitment to Love

Couples seeking to get married under the care of the Meeting or marriages held in the Sandy Spring Meeting House (but under the care of other Friends Meetings) are overseen by the Marriage and Family Relations Committee.

Members, associate members, or regular attenders of the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting, or nonmembers, including Quakers or non-Quakers, may be married under the care of the Meeting. In each case, the couple should be made aware that the Meeting has a loving concern for their marriage that continues beyond the marriage ceremony itself.

Burials

Completing the Circle of Life

Though we wish a long, healthy, and happy life for everyone, those of us at Sandy Spring Meeting also know the realities of the circle of life require all of us to be thoughtful about the future. The Ministry and Council Committee is responsible for all memorial services held in the Meeting House (what we call Memorial Meeting for Worship).

The time of one’s death is a challenging time for many reasons, and Sandy Spring Meeting wants to be a spiritual and practical resource at those times. Additionally, there are numerous pieces of information that need to be gathered quickly and easily to inform the many important decisions that need to be made in that moment.

It is important to be preparing this final information now. Survivors will need some of this information as will the Meeting. For that purpose, we have prepared Completing the Circle of Life: Preparing for the End of One’s Life, a Practical Guide. We also have available forms with which you can convey your wishes to the Meeting and to your family. These are available in both a printable version and a version that can be filled in electronically by clicking on the links below: